LDS Church donates $10 million to construct housing for homeless in Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church announced a $10 million donation to Shelter the Homeless on Thursday to help with the construction and development of more housing in the Salt Lake Valley.

"Homelessness affects all sectors of our communities," said Bishop Gérald Caussé, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Around the world, we join hands and hearts with dozens of partners engaged in alleviating suffering in their respective communities, and in the process we point people towards greater self-reliance."

Shelter the Homeless coordinates efforts to aid homeless people and families in Salt Lake City. The new donation will "enable them to achieve better outcomes and ultimately assist those with housing challenges to elevate their personal circumstances," according to a church news release.

The church’s donation comes from faith’s Humanitarian Aid Fund, which comes from the generous voluntary contributions of church members who have designated their donation for humanitarian purposes.

"The church partners with numerous organizations who share a desire to care for the poor and those in need," the church news release said. "We continue to look for ways to support this effort. For example, discussions are ongoing with respect to our Deseret Industries store at 130 East and 700 South in Salt Lake City. The church has offered the city the option to purchase this property to be used as a future homeless resource center. We are also exploring options for a new Deseret Industries store to address downtown patron and associate needs."